Witchcrafter
"Witchcrafter", known as "Witchcraft" (ウィッチクラフト Wicchikurafuto) in the OCG, is an archetype introduced in Deck Build Pack: Infinity Chasers. It is described as being a "Spellcaster theme that uses in-hand Spell Cards to employ various effects." [DBIC Witchcraft Revealed] - The Organization, February 12, 2019 Etymology "Witchcrafter" monsters might be named after the words in various languages related to artisan crafts. Their team symbol is a pair of scissors and a hammer surrounded by a caliper. "Witchcrafter" name might also come from the fact that they are witches in craftsmen style. Playing Style The monsters of this archetype share a Quick Effect that activates by discarding a Spell Card. The Level 4 or lower monsters Tribute themselves to Special Summon a different "Witchcrafter" from the Deck, while the Level 5 and higher monsters can Special Summon from the hand, destroy an opponent's card or negate opposing monster effects. The Level 4 and lower monsters also have effects that activate by banishing themselves from the GY, to recover cards or further consistency. In this way they act as traditional Spells that Summon from the Deck with GY effects, but as monsters instead. Each of the Level 5 and higher monsters have a unique effect to support Spellcasters, either by Tributing itself to revive a Spellcaster, providing targeting protection, or increasing the ATK/DEF of a battling Spellcaster. They serve either as swarming aids, or simply as Main Deck boss monsters with disruption. The Spells/Continuous Spells of the archetype share a common effect of "During your End Phase, if you control a "Witchcrafter" monster and this card is in your GY: You can add this card to your hand/Place this card face-up in your Spell & Trap Zone." respectively. This effect cannot be activated the same turn that the main effect of the Spell is activated, making it useful to pay the costs of the "Witchcrafter" monsters, but with a serious drawback. Their main effects range from the usual searching and revival, to more unusual effects like bouncing Spells/Traps and multiple attacking. The Continuous Spells instead have an effect that allows them to substitute for a Spell in-hand for the purposes of the Quick Effects. This allows them to be useful for paying the costs of the "Witchcrafter" monsters during the opponent's turn, bringing themselves back on your turn. While on the field, they can also provide card draws when an opposing monster is destroyed by battle and destruction protection. The lone Trap in the archetype, "Witchcrafter Masterpiece" can search any Spell that is already in either player's GY. This can be used to stock up on the Deck's best Spells for discard fodder/use, or to search powerful, generic cards used by the opponent like "Monster Reborn" or "Pot of Desires" to the player's advantage. It can also banish itself and any number of Spells from the GY, except the turn it was sent there, to Special Summon a "Witchcrafter" monster from the Deck whose Level equals the number of Spells banished. This is best used to get extra value out of off-theme Spells with no recovery. If the player is short on Spells, the optimal target is probably "Witchcrafter Potterie", who can then access a much higher Level monster at the cost of the usual discard while enabling its recovery effect. Of note is that the archetype does not yet have an Extra Deck mechanic that fully fits its needs, or an on-archetype Extra Deck monster. All the monsters are different Levels, they possess no on-archetype Tuners, and they struggle with swarming more than 2 monsters. This could be used to the Deck's advantage with "Pot of Extravagance", however bearing in mind its downsides make it less appealing (conflicting with "Witchcrafter Pittore"), so this problem could hurt the Deck's viability. Konami Suggested Deck Recipe References Category:Archetypes